Saudi mosque hit by suicide bomb: 13 killed and 9 wounded

Riyadh: A terrorist blew himself up in the province of Aseer, in the southwest of Saudi Arabia, in a place of worship frequented by special forces. At least 13 men have been killed and 9 wounded

A mosque in Abha, capital of Aseer province in southwest Saudi Arabia near Yemen was attacked by a man, who blew himself up killing thirteen on the spot.

The mosque is frequented by policemen and personnel of special forces. According to an Interior Ministry spokesperson, “the attack took place during the midday prayer, ten policemen and three employees were killed, while nine people were injured. Three of them are serious.”

Initial reports spoke of 17 dead and 20 wounded. The agency explained that the Saudi mosque targeted by the suicide bomber is the place of worship of the headquarters of the special police forces of Asir. At the time of the explosion a group of recruits had gathered for prayer.

The Interior Ministry spokesperson said that it is still too early to speculate on the culprits. In July, the Saudi authorities had arrested 431 people as part of an offensive to eliminate the cells related to the Islamic State (Is). In May, a suicide bomber had detonated during Friday prayers at a Shiite mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh in the Qatif province in eastern Saudi Arabia, killing twenty people. This was claimed as an IS attack. A week later, on May 29, a mosque in al-Dammamin the south east of Saudi Arabia, had been hit by a suicide bomber.